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During the throes of the fight over the Silent Sam Confederate monument at UNC, the North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans was on the front lines, defending the statue of a symbol of proud southern heritage. The division's commander, Kevin Stone, was a vocal defender.

Now, state officials are confirming to ABC11 that Stone is also a probation officer assigned to Chatham County.

Probation officers exercise a lot of discretion in their duties. They "check up" on their charges when they see fit, and can execute a search of the premises without a warrant or even a suspicion of wrongdoing. Many who are convicted of a crime and receive no jail time in the sentence, end up serving time for a probation violation. With all that in mind, please note the upside-down "V" on Stone's quasi-uniform. That's the Lambda "Shield Wall" symbol of a White Supremacist group:

AFRICAN-AMERICAN LAWMAKERS PUSH MORE FUNDING FOR HBCU'S: Sen. Gladys Robinson, D-Guilford, noted that each UNC campus that has a doctoral-level research program is supposed to get an extra $10 million a year for faculty and equipment, but N.C. A&T gets only $2.5 million – and even that has been a recent improvement. Republican leadership has promised to include another $7.5 million in this year's state budget, she said, but the inequity shouldn't have existed for so long. "This is not about HBCUs versus non-HBCUs. This is about equity, and this is about parity," said Rep. Raymond Smith Jr., D-Wayne. Smith fought during the debate over the House budget to shift some of the $100 million earmarked for agricultural research and cooperative extension at North Carolina State University to N.C. A&T, which he said got nothing, even though the two land-grant universities have a similar focus.https://www.wral.com/lawmakers-students-want-parity-funding-for-hbcus-in-nc/18388967/

A new report shows the economic impact of more than a decade of clean energy investment in the state. The study from the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association finds clean energy development projects generated more than $28.2 billion dollars statewide since 2007.

Clean energy projects can be a boon to rural, low-income counties. The report finds rural Eastern counties have benefitted the most. Duplin and Robeson counties lead the state with more than $650 million dollars of clean energy investment apiece.

In place of my normal long-winded spiel, I'll quote myself from almost four years ago:

BISHOP WINS 9TH DISTRICT REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY: Bishop will face Democrat Dan McCready and two third-party candidates on Sept. 10 in what’s expected to be the nation’s most closely watched special election. With 93% of votes in, Bishop defeated Union County Commissioner Stony Rushing 48% to 20%. Among 10 candidates, former Mecklenburg County Commissioer Matthew Ridenhour was the only other one in double figures, with 17%. As he had throughout the campaign, Bishop decried the “liberal crazy clowns” in Washington. He described their agenda as “socialism, open borders (and) infanticide.” In a statement, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee signaled its own attacks against Bishop: As the architect of House Bill 2, the so-called “bathroom bill,” and the heir to what it called Republican election fraud.https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article230335584.html

Today, Protect Our Care North Carolina and health care advocates from across the state joined Indivisible chapter Tuesdays with Tillis to call on Senator Thom Tillis to stand up to Donald Trump’s repeated efforts to repeal and sabotage the Affordable Care Act.

PENCE TO THROW BIG-MONEY FUNDRAISER FOR TILLIS IN GREENSBORO: Vice President Mike Pence will attend a fundraising dinner with Sen. Thom Tillis in Greensboro on May 22, an important sign of support from the administration for Tillis, who faces a primary challenge in 2020. Tillis, from has faced criticism from some North Carolina Republicans for not sufficiently backing Trump on immigration issues, notably Trump’s national emergency declaration. Tillis, who wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post explaining his rationale for voting against the emergency declaration, voted with the president after the backlash. Tucker, in his first television ad, hit Tillis for his “flip flop” on the issue. Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and the party’s national deputy finance chair Louis DeJoy — the former CEO of New Breed Logistics and a Republican mega donor — will also attend the event. DeJoy hosted a fundraiser for President Donald Trump at his home in 2017. The event has giving levels from $2,800 to $35,000.https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article230348719.html

Families making $70k+ do not need a voucher of public money to send their child/ren to private school. Median income in NC is about $51k. Vouchers were supposed to be for low-income families. Do you want to pay to send others’ kids to private school when they make $70k? #ncpol

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